Abolishing History

For John, BLUF:  Chief Justice John Marshall, our fourth Chief Justice, did much to shape the role of the US SUpreme Court as the third branch of our Government..  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Pressure Builds To Remove John Marshall From Cleveland State Law School's Name

From Tax Prof Blog, by Professor Paul Caron. 18 January 2022.

Here is the lede plus four:

Pressure is mounting to change the name of Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law because of its namesake’s association with slavery. ...

[A] group of Cleveland-Marshall law students is pressing the Board of Trustees into action, as they become increasingly frustrated by what they see as the university dragging its feet on an obvious decision.  At the same time, City Councilman Kevin Conwell on Monday introduced legislation urging for the name change. ...

A year and a half ago, the college and Dean Lee Fisher assembled a committee to weigh the pros and cons of a name change.  The committee has since held six forums and issued a 46-page “framing document.”  A survey seeking students’ opinions is underway. ...

Fisher, in a statement to cleveland.com, said a potential renaming is a “consequential decision that requires careful study, and a thoughtful, inclusive process that considers different viewpoints” from the law school and CSU community.

That process, Fisher said, “has modeled what we teach our law students – to listen and learn and to withhold judgment until we have had a chance to evaluate what we have heard.”

The student group, Students Against Marshall, wants the board to remove the name ahead of spring commencement, so another class of law students won’t have diplomas bearing the name of a person who bought and sold human beings, said group member Emily Forsee.

One wonders if the student activists will countenance the mention of the Chief Justice's name in class?  Will the Law School no longer be allowed to discussed Marbury v Madison?  Will graduates be admonished to never cite Marbury v Madison orally or in written brief?

The man had flaws.  Even President William Jefferson Clinton had flaws, but yet we have not consigned him to Coventry, yet. Will they be demanding that the statue Chief Justice John Marshall be removed from the grounds of the US Supreme Court?

When are they coming for George Washington, First in War, First in Peace, First in the Hearts of His Countrymen?  I suppose the place to start is our Nation's Capitol, changing the name from Washington, DC, to Federal Capitol.  Or just go with District of Columbia.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff